Picture-film rack.



C. F. JENKINS.

PICTURE FILM RACK.

APPLIOATIONIILBD JUNI: 27, 1912.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

(a2/@Human c. P. JENKINS, PIGTURE FILM RACK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1912.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3mm/tez l :cLEs FRANCIS .mNxIN's or Wasnmeroit, menager onponumm A i PICTURE-FILM man.

of which the following is a specification,

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. j

This invention relates to racks for holding long picture films during the operations to which they are subjected between the time of exposure and the time when they are ready for practical use. During such operations, it is desirable to have the film in as compact and convenient form as possible without incurring danger of contact of its vdiii'erent parts with each other, and also important that manipulation of the apparatus with little or no light may be safe and certain.

With these conditions in view, l provide a rotary hlm raclr which may be virtually increased in size while the film is being wound thereon and similarly decreased when the lm is unwound, the film in winding forming aplane spiral the successive turns et which are at suitable distances apart. The rack involves a plane rotary member having radial sets of spaced fingers arranged to move successively into or out of position for holding separated the successive turns of a lm wound upon the ngers and forming a plane spiral approximately pagllel to the saidv member. For illustration said member -v is shown as a plane spider or star wheel, in

the arms` of which are headed fingers each sliding freely in. its own vertical way in its arm, so .that if'the spider be rotated and the fingers, beginning with the innermost, be raised at the proper instant, lm'winding on` them passes below the head of each and prevents it from descending when the ngerraising. force ceases to act. in unwinding the film from the reel, the ngers fall in successionias the iilm vvpasses from beneath the head of each. lnthis way,.the eective diameter of the rack progressively varies Vduring winding and 'unwinding This construction forms one of 'many embodiments of the broader ideas involved in the invention.

vln the accompanying drawings, Figure i.

is a plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a` specmction of Letters Patent. Application filed June 27, 1912. Serial No. 706,186.

raient new. se, wie.

a section on the line A,B, Figi 2.v ig. 4 shows the devices of Fig. 3, looking from the right. Fig. l5 is a detail viewof spidersupporting devices. Figs. and 7 show iii plan and elevation part of a modified arm and fingers.

side elevation of the same devices.

In these figures, A, A', A represents'a i supporting frame shown as having'three arms radiating from a common. point* at which rises a post A, upon which is revolubly mounted a spider which has inthis instance four hollow, angularly equidistant arms C, of rectangular cross section, although such arms may vary'in number and form. Each arm is provided with a series of vertical perforations in whichv slide loosely iingers D, each having at its upper end a head which normally rests upon the arm, and also, preferably, a headv at its lower end so that it cannot be separated from the arm.

0n one arm the finger which is nearer the axis-of the spider than any other has a head E readily distinguishable by the sense of touch from any other of the fingers, and t0 this finger, when raised, the end of the ilm 'is secured below the head E and above the will bring a second or next succeeding arm into such position that if its innermost'flnger be raisedfby hand or otherwise, the iilm will wind against its side just below .its head and prevent the finger from again falling when the outside force ceases to act as a support. If' the rotation be continued and the innermost linger of each arm be thus raised at the proper time, the film will be wound in a gradually increasing spiral until all the fingers are raised or until the end of the film is reached. The separation of successive turns of the spiral will of course depend vupon the arrangement of the ngers along the several arms; and preferably the spacing of the fingers is gradually increased as the distance from the center increases so that the longer reaches of the iilm may be farther apart than the shorter segments nearer the center.- The lm being thus wound, the rack may be lifted from its supporting post andsubjected to lthe usual operations. When it is to be re-wound into a have sometimes used the forms shown in Figs.

6 and 7. Here the s ider arms C" are provided with rocking iiigers D lying loosely in horizontal bearings or holes in the arms and bent at right angles at the arms lateral faces, a straight end portion on one face lforming a lm engaging finger proper, while the end portion projecting on the opposite face is shorter and has its end M bent 1n its own vertical plane, as shown, the ar`- rangement beingsuch that when any nger, proper, is swung from normal position alongside its spider arm to erect position, where it is perpendicular to the plane of the.V spider, the end M rocks the next finger,

' counting from the spiders axis, to inclined position and is then stopped thereby. When the ngers are not held after raising, gravity, acting first on the bent end portions and v then on bot-h end' portions, quickly restores all to normal position.

In use, the innermost Enger of the spider is rocked to vertical position and the end of the film is attached thereto. The `spider is' then rotated and the innermost fingers of the other arms are raised in succession and are held erect by the film which winds upon them. After an inner finger on each arm is thus raised, it is only necessary to rotate the spider, .the lm itself engaging the inclined lingers in succession and rocking them to erect position and thereby inclining the succeeding linger. Thus by continued rotation of the spider all the fingers are raised, if the film be long enough, and the ilm is at the same time wound upon them in a" sort of spiral. When the film `is unwound, the spider is allowed to rotate in a contrary direction and as fast as it releases the lingers they fall automatically to normal position.

When either of the described forms Vis used, nothing but the spider and its pivotal support is required, but that the first form may be used with added advantages, I provide other devices, the use of which is optional. In adding these other devices, I

place upon the post`A3, which is provided.

with a suitable shoulder to support it, a bevel gear B, the hub, B', of which is provided with a vertical pin B2. This gear is rotated by a'pinion B3 carried by a threaded shaft B* mounted in bearings on the arm A2 and rotated without longitudinal movement by means of a hand crank B5. The hub of the spider is bored tofreceive the .pin B2 so that when in osition it must rotate with the gear. With t ls addition, the spider may be conveniently rotated'by the crank, thefin? gers being raised as before, but I have further provided for raising them automatically when desired. For this purpose, a traveling nut F is mounted upon the threaded shaft and,prov'ided with rigid vertical arms or project-ions F, F2, upon which is pivoted'lo swing about a vertical axis a frame lGr having an inclined upper member G initially lying in the pat-h of the innermostl fingers of the rackand in position to raise it as the rack rotates in the roper direction. The nut F- is also provi ed with a forked'projection H which loosely engages the upper side of a flange extending along;

the spider arm and prevent-s the nut from rot-ating with the shaft.

The swinging frame G rigid arm J bearing at its ree end a roller J which bears against the side of a rib or flange A4 on the lower side of the spider arm A2 at a point "nearer the axis of the spider than the axis of the frame Gr and is held in .contact therewith by a spring I connecting the swinging 1frame with a stud I on the nut. The 'rib A"t is not parallel to the shaft but gradually approaches it as the distance from the spiders axis increases, and hence the roller is gradually forced toward the vertical plane of the shaft as the nut moves outward along the latter, so that the frame and its inclined upper member Gt are progressively swung in the direction4` of thel arrow (Fig. l) and the member is thus always in the path of the lower end of the .next finger to be raised, whatever -the distance of that finger from Athe axis' ofthe spider. Thus when all the parts thus far described are used, it is only necessary to raise the pin E, attach the end ofthe film thereto and rotate the crank,all being readily done without aid from the eye.

When the film is to be wound from the reel or'rack, or when it is not desired to use "the shaft and its immediate connections, a

block Q, Fig. 5, is placed upon the central post so that it rests upon the hub 'of .the bevel gear to support the rack in raised position where it may rotate freely upon th`e post as an axis. The outer end of the film being now drawn outward in a plane parallel to that of the rack the latter rotates and the 'film passes from beneath the head of the fingers in succession and each fin er as it is thus released instantly drops until its head rests upon its arm, below the plane of the Preferably the nut F is provided with a deviceO by which it ma be instantly disengaged from the threa s of the .shaft or engaged therewith; .but this device is without novelty herein claimed.

is rovided with a- This particular embodiment of the inven- I tion requires the rotary finger-carrying member to be approximately horizontal of means for moving the fingers outward from the plane of said member, in succession, into position for supporting a film strip as it winds upon them when said member rotates. I

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a rack member mounted to rotate in its own plane upon a cent-ral' axis, of radiating sets of spaced fingers carried by said member, and automatic means for moving the lingers outwardly from said axis into position for supporting a film strip winding upon them as said member rotates.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, of a spider revolubly mounted upon said support, sets of spaced fingers carried by the spider arms, respectively, and automatlc means for moving all the lingers outwardly from the spiders plane, in succession, beginning with the inner lingers of the sets, while the spider is rotating.

4. In a rack of the class described, the

lcombination with a suitable support, of a plane spider revolubly mounted in horizontal position on said support and provided with a seriesvof headed fingers sliding freely in vertical ways in its arms and means for sliding the fin ers, successively, in their ways as the spi er rotates.-

- 5. The combination with a suitable support, of a plane spider revolubly mounted on said support and having in each arm a set of spaced, vertically sliding headed lingers, means for rotating the spider, an inclined arm adapted to raise a finger passing over it, and automatic means for moving the arm progressively outward to raise all the fingers 1n succession.

6. The combination with a suitable support, of a plane spider revolubly mounted on said support and having in each arm a set of spaced, vertically sliding headed iingers, means for rotating the spider, an inclined arm adapted to raise a finger passing over it, `automatic means for moving the arm progressively outward to raise all the fingers in succession, and automatic means for swinging the arm about a vertical axis to positions approximately in planes tangent to the paths of the fingers which it is to raise.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with an Vapproximately plane rack member, of a series of fingers independently mounted in said member, at progressively increasing distances from a central point, and arranged to be moved separately into positions where each projects perpendicularly to the plane of said member into the plane in which the film is to be Wound, and means whereby a film strip may be progressively wound upon the projecting ngers as they are moved successively into such position.`

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES L. CRAWFORD, ROBERT CRAIG GREENE. 

